


Dumbledore’s Folly

by Author_Person



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alpha Severus Snape, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Omega Harry Potter, Rape, Underage Sex, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27173359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author_Person/pseuds/Author_Person
Summary: Dumbledore makes yet another decision for Harry. Things do not go to plan.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 12
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer  
> Don’t own the characters, not making money. 
> 
> Content Warning  
> Contains: Rape of a minor, and naughty language.

Severus storms into the hospital wing. Damn that man. He cannot believe he is being forced to do _this_ to the boy. The boy deserves better than this. He strides up to the bed where the boy is currently thrashing in his bonds. Damn everything.

“Potter, you may as well cease your struggling. You will not be getting out of this.”

The boy goes still at sight of him. Then begins to whisper pleadingly, desperately, to him.

“Please, Professor, you don’t know what they want to do to me. Please, untie me, sir, please.”

“I cannot.”

He turns away from the anguished eyes of the boy. And sees Poppy walking toward him. He sneers at her.

“Coming to make sure I’m fulfilling my duty?”

She nods and he breathes in sharply.

“Well as you can see I am.”

“I’m sorry, Severus, but Albus was very _particular_ about my staying to oversee the entire process.”

Fuck. He shouldn’t have argued so hard. If he’d known the old man would force this humiliation on them...he cannot wait till he can kill the man.

“Surely there is a spell that would allow you to monitor the situation from your office.”

She shakes her head grimly. Then turns around to give them a mockery of privacy. He shakes with rage for a moment but then forces himself to calm. He turns back to the boy. Who simply shakes his head in horrified disbelief. He closes his eyes and for once in his fucking life he is honest with the boy. It can’t possibly hurt the boy this once to tell him a portion of the truth.

“I am sorry, Harry. There is nothing I can do. I tried to prevent this. I am so very sorry.”

He simply stands there for a moment, his gut twisting with disgust, and shame, and a small measure of desire. He hates that he doesn’t hate this situation as much as he should. Harry would sooner die than accept him as his alpha, he knows this, and still a part of him wants this. He suspects he hates himself more than the boy does at this moment. The boy deserves better than him, better than being raped in front of a fucking audience. Seeing the boy’s eyes fill with despair, oh yes, he’s going to enjoy killing Albus. It’s just a damn shame he can’t do so already.

He begins tearing at the buttons of his robe. If he doesn’t start this soon he’ll end up storming out and killing the old man, consequences be damned. He can’t believe he allowed himself to be backed into a corner like this. Fuck. He continues stripping while trying one last attempt on Poppy.

“Could you at least cast a fucking silencing charm?”

“Severus!”

“No, you do _not_ get to scold me for my language while standing by as a boy is raped. Don’t you fucking dare. Silencing charm, or so help me I might just change my bloody mind.”

She huffs angrily. Then nods sharply.

“Fine. But you aren’t the only one in this situation against your will, Severus. That man’s days are numbered if I have anything to say about it.”

She turns back around and casts the charm. He breathes more calmly as he finishes removing his clothes. He walks the last step to the bed and hesitates. He can’t do this. He can’t not do this. Fucking Albus.

“It’s okay, Professor. Thanks for trying at least. And for the silencing charm.”

The boy gives him his best brave look, it leaves a lot to be desired. He pulls at the boy’s bindings.

“But, if you don’t want to do this so badly, why are you?”

He refuses to lie about _this_.

“Albus is holding us hostage with a greater threat. If we do not go through with this...he’s going to release a potion into the air of the school that will force every omega into a heat. You, along with every other omega, even those not yet through puberty, would be taken against your will.”

“Fuck. I can’t believe he’d...is there no way to stop him?”

“This is a large castle Harry, and even if we did have the time to find it, he has us all under surveillance. Even if he were to die, he claims to have put failsafes in place, he knew very well I would gladly kill him for this...this will happen. I cannot...”

“No. Of course not. I wouldn’t want this to happen to a bunch of first years. Or any of the others, god, he’s a fucking monster.”

“Not really. He just knows what buttons to press. He knows he’ll never have to actually do it because we wouldn’t dare call his bluff. Would he actually go through with it...I do not know. Nor do I wish to find out.”

“Yeah, I can’t say I blame you. I don’t either.”

He finishes releasing the boy from his bonds and then finds himself hesitating again. The boy decides for him. He turns away while the boy strips.

“After today it will be as if this never happened, I cannot continue spying if this were to get out. This will not happen again. And after the war...I don’t expect I will survive. You _will_ be able to find an alpha of your choice, Harry. I know it won’t undo this, but, I just felt you should know. This won’t mean you are trapped in a relationship you do not want.”

He feels a touch to his arm. Turns to look at the boy, trying not to see anything below the level of the boy’s neck.

“Hey, that doesn’t make me feel better. I don’t want you to die, and from what I can see, I could do a lot worse.”

The boy pushes himself onto his toes and kisses him. He stares bewildered at the blushing boy. He closes his eyes and tries to swallow down his guilt. He feels as if he’s going to drown in it. The boy deserves so much better than this.

“Hey...Severus.”

 _That_ gets his attention. He stares down at the boy, slightly shocked.

“You aren’t the one at fault here. You’re simply making the best of a shitty situation. You’re protecting your students. You aren’t doing anything that you should feel guilty about.”

“And if a part of me wants this?”

The boy looks shocked, then contemplative. He nods slowly.

“I can see that that might make you feel guilty, but the fact you feel guilty means something too doesn’t it? If you were an arsehole you wouldn’t feel guilty.”

He gives the boy a resigned look. He has no interest in arguing about this. He knows what kind of man he is.

“We should get this over with before Poppy gets impatient. I would like to preserve what little dignity I have left.”

The boy nods then asks.

“How, ah, how do you want me?”

He hadn’t thought this far ahead. Too busy trying to find a way to prevent this. Fuck. Would the boy prefer he take him from behind so he can pretend it’s someone else? Or facing each other like lovers so the boy can pretend this is consensual? Would the boy answer honestly if he asked? He isn’t even going to consider what his own preference would be. He’s _not_ going to go there.

“Whichever you would prefer.”

The boy blinks for a long moment, then breathes in shakily, and lays down on his back. He watches the boy spread his legs, not sure if he’s happy with his choice or not. On the one hand he can pretend later that this was less of a rape for the both of them than it is, and on the other he can pretend this was less of a rape than it is, and that is a temptation he can ill afford. It would be so easy to pretend this is something the boy wants. He has a feeling the boy would go along with it, too. He can’t let that happen. He realizes that if he does survive the war he won’t be able to continue living. He can’t tie the boy to him permanently.

He climbs between the boy’s legs. Takes the potion that will ensure he stays hard, while he does want this to an extent, he also feels so guilty and disgusted at this situation that it’s making it damn near impossible to maintain an erection. He feels himself harden. He swears he’s going to begin brewing a potion that will ensure that never happens again. He can’t imagine he’ll ever be able to harden again without feeling sick. He hands the boy the potion that will prevent his getting pregnant. Explains what it’s for.

“Yeah, I definitely don’t want to have a baby in the middle of a war, still...”

The boy looks profoundly sad for a moment, he doesn’t understand what that’s about, then he drinks it. He coats his fingers in lube and begins preparing the boy while staring straight ahead. He has to stop twice, he’s so fucking angry, but the boy is soon ready. He doesn’t hesitate now, needs this to be over as soon as possible, he thrusts in. Presses in slowly but inexorably until he’s fully seated. He stays still for a moment just trying to breathe past the guilt that is choking him. He closes his eyes so he doesn’t risk catching sight of the boy under him and then begins thrusting. He makes it as quick as he can, he can’t draw this out or he’ll never be able to finish. With the potion in his system he feels himself getting close much quicker than usual. He shoves his knot home and begins filling the boy. He feels like he’s going to be sick, he leans forward, and bites the boy’s mating gland.

He waits a few minutes for the bond to settle, then takes the antidote to the potion he’d taken earlier, his knot goes down immediately. He pulls out and casts cleaning charms on the both of them. He still feels unclean, he’s going to need to shower, but doubts that will truly help. He begins dressing at once. Then stands silently, feeling as if he might fall apart at any moment, once the boy has finished dressing as well, he strides over to Poppy and lets her know it’s done.

She doesn’t say anything, merely nods grimly, and casts a few spells making sure the boy is alright and that the bond is fully settled.

“Everything is, well, it’s done. I’ll let Albus know. Though how I’ll not kill the man in the process I’ve no idea.”

“We can’t be sure his earlier threat isn’t still in play, Poppy.”

“I know, Severus, but that doesn’t make this any easier.”

He nods at that. That is very true.

“Can I go back to the tower now?”

They both nod and the boy leaves.

“He’ll be all right, Severus. He’s just lucky Albus chose _you_ and not someone who would take advantage of him.”

“None of us are going to be alright, Poppy, least of all him. Is there anything else before I go shower off this disgusting day?”

She shakes her head sadly and he leaves. He storms through the halls wishing he could kill the man _now_. Hopes he’ll be able to soon. He doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to keep his temper at bay around the man. He reaches his quarters and does not go immediately to shower. He heads into his lab and begins collecting the necessary ingredients. Brews a batch of the potion and drinks down his first dose. He _will_ ensure that he doesn’t get hard again.

~~~~~~

Harry walks back to Gryffindor tower still in a state of disbelief. He has an alpha. He never thought he’d get one at all. He can’t see himself surviving this war and never wanted to tie himself to someone only to die on them. But now, he has an alpha. His heart hurts at the memory of how guilty the man looked. He seemed to be completely horrified by what he was being forced to do. He can’t believe he’d never realized how good of a man he is. He’s a bitter, sarcastic, bastard of a man, but, he remembers him putting himself between him and a transforming Lupin. He should have known he was a good man. He could kill Dumbledore himself for having done this to them. He hates him so fucking much, can’t believe he would do this, he’s trusted him for so long, even after he failed him again and again. He’ll never trust the man again, that’s for certain.

He gets to the portrait and mutters the password, climbs through the portrait hole, and finds himself face to face with his friends. Fuck, what is he going to tell them? Shit. Why didn’t he think about this on the way back? He’s such an idiot. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What does he tell them? He, he could, maybe...damn it. He’s going to have to go with the truth. Hermione is going to figure out that he’s been mated soon enough. She’s too damned perceptive.

“I ah, need to talk to you. In private.”

They nod, looking worried. His tone of voice telling them how important it is. He turns right back around and leads them to the room of requirement. Nowhere else feels secure enough for _this_ conversation. He can’t let Umbridge find out about this. They sit down in the cosy sitting room he requested and he simply stares into the fire for a long moment.

“I have an alpha.”

He hears Hermione gasp and Ron turns a bit green, no doubt picturing how an omega acquires an alpha. He’s almost tempted to smile. Ron is _such_ a beta.

They’re just about to congratulate him or ask who his alpha is, when he stops them with a raised hand.

“Let me explain.”

He tells them. He tells them about receiving a note that he needed to go to the hospital wing, about being tied down and told he was going to be mated, about the terror he felt and his struggles to free himself, about Severus walking in and him trying to get the man to free him.

He tells them about Dumbledore’s machinations, about his ultimatum, about his new alpha, and how guilty the man was over having to do this. He cries as he tells him he has an alpha he can never be with. Tells them how horrified Severus was, how traumatic the whole event was for the both of them. Tells them that he and his alpha were both essentially raped. Hermione pulls him close and he cries on her shoulder for a long time. After a while he puts himself back together, for now, he has a feeling he’ll fall apart again later, and he sits up again.

“Does this mean we have to be nice to Snape now, mate?”

He laughs. Then shakes his head.

“No, we have to keep this a secret. With his position as a spy...”

“Yeah, of course. But what are the two of you going to do after?”

“He doesn’t plan on surviving.”

“Oh, Harry!”

He smiles shakily at Hermione.

“It’s fine. There’s no guarantee any of us will survive. I just wish, I wish he hadn’t had to go through that. I wish I could kill Dumbledore. The fucking monster. To threaten an entire school full of children...”

“I don’t understand why he needed you to be claimed anyway. Do you know why he felt it was so important? Not that it would justify his behavior, just, why?”

He shakes his head. He’s been wondering about that himself. Whatever the reason it definitely isn’t good enough though.


	2. Chapter 2

He can feel him on the other side of the classroom. He doesn’t know how long he’s going to be able to continue ignoring the bond. He wants to drag the boy away from his friends and keep him all to himself. Fucking bond. He hadn’t realized how it would make him feel. He hates this.

~~~~~~

He can feel him on the other side of the classroom. He doesn’t know how the man is pretending to be fine. He feels like he’s going to fall apart if the man doesn’t look at him. Doesn’t touch him. Stupid bond. How is he supposed to stand this? He glances at Hermione, she’s looking at him worriedly again. He doesn’t know how he’s meant to be able to brew like this. He hates this. He feels faint all of a sudden...

~~~~~~

“Professor!”

He almost ignores the little know-it-all, but, something about her tone gets his attention. He turns to find Harry lying on the floor.

“What happened?”

“He just collapsed, sir. I think he needs the hospital wing.”

“Then take him.”

He watches her leave out of the corner of his eye while pretending indifference. As soon as they’re out of the classroom his head clears. Damn. He wonders if he can find an excuse to kick the boy of his class entirely. He can’t possibly continue teaching potions while he’s that distracted. Someone will end up seriously hurt. He hopes the boy is alright. Wonders what could have happened.

~~~~~~

Harry comes to and the first thing he sees is the worried face of Madam Pomphrey. Which is rather terrifying. What could make a mediwitch worry? She’s usually calm no matter what.

“What is it?”

“You’re pregnant.”

“But the potion?!”

“Is effective in over ninety nine percent of cases. You just happen to have been an exception.”

“The potion won’t have harmed the baby though, right?”

He clutches his stomach, absolutely terrified for a baby he didn’t know existed a moment ago. He’s probably being a bit irrational.

“No, Mr. Potter, it won’t have. It didn’t. The baby is perfectly healthy, but...”

He goes cold at her tone.

“But?”

“Albus, does not want you pregnant. If he becomes aware...”

“No! We can’t, I won’t allow that man to...I won’t!”

“If you want to keep this baby, then you should, Mr. Potter. But it isn’t that simple. We need to inform Severus and you will likely need to leave the castle before the end of the night.”

“But...you’re worried Dumbledore will fall back on his earlier plan?”

“While possible, I think it unlikely in this case. I think it more likely he would simply wait for our guard to be down and then have someone in this castle hit you with the spell which will trigger a natural abortion.”

Harry closes his eyes.

“I want to keep this baby safe, but how can I? Where can I go?”

“We will wait until Severus gets here to plan. He may have a solution ready, the man usually does. In the meantime we need to keep your condition a secret, which means you will be staying here for the day. Your faintness earlier was triggered by your being in proximity with your alpha, normally it wouldn’t be a problem but with the pregnancy, and your avoiding one another...it’s the bond’s way of trying to force closeness upon you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“A pregnant omega needs to spend time with their alpha in order to keep the baby as healthy as it can possibly be.”

“But then how can I leave the castle?”

“You will both be leaving, Mr. Potter. You can’t be separated now.”

“What if he doesn’t agree to go with me?”

“He will, but even if he didn’t...you would still be able to have a healthy baby, it would simply take more out of you personally. You would be supporting the pregnancy with your magic alone.”

Harry nods. That’s good to know. He has no doubt he could support the baby by himself considering he survived the Dursley’s tender care.

~~~~~~

He strides into the hospital wing, hoping that Poppy isn’t about to dump him with another crisis. He’s not sure how much more he can take. He sees the look on her face and realizes she is. Fuck.

“Poppy.”

She leads him to a curtained off bed in the back. Pulls a curtain to the side and motions him in. Harry. Who else would it be? He sighs.

“I’m pregnant.”

“Fuck.”

Poppy doesn’t even tsk at him. Which helps the gravity of the situation sink in.

“He wants to keep the baby Severus. We can’t let Albus find out.”

He nods sharply, then stares into the distance, thinking rapidly. This is going to complicate matters greatly. If the Dark Lord were to find out...he isn’t sure what he’d do. But he can’t run with the boy for long. They’d be caught and at that point there would be no mercy to be had. Perhaps...perhaps the manor _would_ be the best place. They’d be safe from Albus if nothing else...

“You don’t have to come with me if you don’t...”

“Nonsense. We will be leaving together and at once. Are his things packed?”

“Of course. I had my personal house elves pack his things and your own earlier.”

“Thank you, Poppy. I am sorry to be leaving you like this, but I know the students are in good hands at least.”

“Mm, I’ll pass that message along to the others, as well.”

He nods. He really does hate leaving them to deal with the old man alone...but he can’t risk killing him yet, with the potion still a potential threat. He shares a look with Poppy who nods grimly.

He reaches out to help the boy stand.

“I’m fine. I can get off a bed without help.”

The boy looks at him as if he’s mad.

“The bond, Harry. With your current condition it requires a certain amount of contact between us each day. You’ve already collapsed in my presence once today. I would rather not risk a repeat.”

The boy nods, looking a bit sheepish and takes his hand. He sighs deeply, humming happily, and smiles at him.

“I feel so much better now. I suppose we can’t hold hands as we leave, it would be a bit obvious, but do you think you could hold my shoulder or something as we walk, without it looking suspicious?”

He gives the boy a look then pulls him in and kisses him, Harry kisses him back hungrily. When he pulls away the boy looks thrilled and gives him a lopsided smile. He‘s ridiculous. God he hopes he survives this day. A child. He can’t believe he has a child on the way. And he’s relying on the Dark Lord to keep them safe. Insanity.

He escorts the boy out of the hospital wing, with his hand on his shoulder. They’re almost out of the castle when he catches a glimpse of Draco. He gives him a look and Draco peels away from his friends and follows them. He waits until they’re halfway to the gates before addressing his godson.

“Draco, I need you to listen without interrupting. Dumbledore forced us to mate against our will. He didn’t want Harry to become pregnant but the potion failed. He is pregnant and since we don’t trust the Headmaster not to abort the child whether we would or no, we are leaving. I’m taking him to the manor to seek sanctuary.”

Draco stops stunned but they keep walking. Any delay could potentially spell disaster. Draco catches back up a moment later.

“You’ll be killed, Uncle Sev. You cannot possibly expect otherwise. Why would you..?”

“I do indeed expect otherwise. Your father is my oldest friend, and _he_ will, I think, be too angry at Dumbledore to care about us for the moment.”

“Why would he..?”

“Dumbledore was going to force every omega in the school into an early heat, Draco.”

“Fuck.”

“Indeed. I am telling you this because I need someone I can trust looking out for my Slytherins. I trust you, Draco. I know you would have done so on your own, but I want you to know that you have my backing and my trust.”

“I won’t let them down, Uncle Sev. Just worry about your own safety. Be careful and congratulations on your new omega.”

They reach the gates and then turn to say farewell. He takes Harry’s hand, and nods at Draco.

“Hey, Malfoy, can you let my friends know why I left? There wasn’t time to and it was too risky anyway. I’d owe you one.”

“Sure, Potter, just keep my little niece or nephew safe.”

They say their final farewells and then he disapparates.

~~~~~~

They appear in the middle of a gravel drive. That’s all Harry notices at first anyway. Mostly because he’s bent over trying not to be sick. Turns out apparition is even worse when pregnant. Fuck. He hopes they never have to do that again. He breathes deeply for a long moment while Severus rubs his back soothingly. Finally he straightens up and gasps. Holy fuck. No wonder Draco’s such a spoiled prat. Manor? It’s a goddamn mansion.

“Feeling better? Then come.”

He clutches Severus’ hand tightly as they walk. He can’t believe they’re trusting Voldemort not to kill them on sight but apparently they are. They walk together to the doors of the manor and Severus knocks.

Lucius Malfoy opens the door himself, shocking Harry a little, he thinks he must have recognized who had entered his wards.

“Severus?”

“We need to speak to _him_ , Lucius. We are formally requesting sanctuary.”

Lucius’ eyes widen and he gestures for them to enter. He doesn’t speak as he leads them to Voldemort but he does keep glancing at them. He’s tempted to smile at the man’s confusion but he’s too worried. He places a hand on his stomach and swears to himself that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his child safe. Even if it means joining Voldemort. He wishes his own parents had felt the same.

Lucius opens the door of a study and waves them inside. Harry squeezes Severus’ hand reflexively when he sees Voldemort. Severus squeezes back reassuringly.

“My Lord, Severus and his omega are here requesting sanctuary.”

Harry watches Voldemort’s eyes widen and then narrow in contemplation.

“How is it that this came to be, Severus?”

“Dumbledore forced it upon us...”

Harry watches Voldemort’s face as Severus explains their dilemma. He shows very little emotion other than rage. But for a moment there he could swear he saw sympathy.

“Lucius, this is your home, only you can grant what they ask. But you have my blessing.”

Lucius nods gratefully.

“Then you have my sanctuary for as long as you have need of it.”

There’s a flash of light and Harry gasps. He’d had no idea that it was a kind of magical promise they were asking for. Lucius starts to lead them out of the room but he shakes his head.

“This is only a temporary measure, isn’t it? After Dumbledore dies or I’m no longer pregnant we’ll go right back to being enemies?”

Voldemort gives him a look he can’t interpret.

“Yes...”

“I don’t want that. I don’t want to leave my child an orphan. I want to know I’ll survive this war. I can’t be of much use to you so I doubt you’ll want me as a death eater but...I swear that I won’t knowingly hurt you or yours again except in defense of my alpha or my child.”

“Not even in your own defense?”

“No. I have no hope of defending myself against you. My best bet is to make myself as harmless as possible.”

Voldemort gives him a long look. Then nods slowly.

“There is a way to make such a vow magically binding. I will accept such a vow from you and cease to regard you as a threat, but you will add an exception for your own defense. I’ll not have you killed by one of my own, who is too stupid to follow orders and leave you unharmed, simply because you couldn’t protect yourself.”

He stares for a long moment. Voldemort laughs a whispery laugh and he snaps out of it. Voldemort dictates the Vow to him and he recites it. His magic swells in the air around him and then it’s done.

“Good, now you’ve had a stressful day and that isn’t good for a pregnancy. Go rest.”

He walks with Severus and Lucius, still disbelieving over the day’s events. Will he ever have a year where nothing completely mad happens? Lucius leads them to a guest room, exchanges a few quiet words with Severus, and then leaves them alone.

He turns to Severus and burrows into his arms. Severus sucks in a breath and then just holds him for a long moment.

“You alright?”

He shakes his head.

“I’m worried about what Dumbledore will do next. I’m happy that we’re safe, at least for the moment, but terrified for the future. I’m almost grateful for the bastard’s actions since they’ve given me this baby and you, but at the same time...how long will it be before we can have sex without remembering _that_. I want to kill him, but I want to make him _suffer_ first.”

“I feel much the same, but worrying about the future serves no purpose. We will simply have to take things as they come.”

He nods, then pulls back and looks up at his alpha. He looks about as tired as he feels. He pulls him down into a kiss.

“Bed? Just to sleep of course.”

Severus nods and they get ready for bed much earlier than usual. They climb into bed together and Severus pulls him into his side, he goes willingly. Surprised, and happy, that the man would want him that close. He wonders if the man can read minds when he explains.

“The bond requires a certain level of closeness while you are pregnant. Since we haven’t been near each other in a few days...this is necessary. Not that I truly mind it.”

“I like it too.”

Severus begins rubbing his thumb across his arm and he slowly drifts off to sleep wondering at the man’s gentleness.


	3. Chapter 3

He wakes in the morning warm and comfortable, half draped over Severus, who’s still sleeping peacefully. He lifts off him slowly and watches him sleep for a moment. Only for a moment. Severus wakes grumbling about creepy behavior. He laughs.

“I was just thinking about how lucky I am that that potion failed.”

Severus’ gaze softens.

“Indeed. We should get dressed and head down to breakfast, we already skipped eating dinner last night and you need to eat regular meals.”

He smiles at the reason for that and gets out of bed. Then stops. Shit.

“I don’t have any nice clothes. At all.”

Severus gives him a bewildered look.

“I just, my relatives don’t know about the money I have so I could never buy anything not school related so they didn’t get suspicious and...”

“Wait, you’ve been hiding your money from them. Why?”

Fuck. He shouldn’t have said anything.

“They would want it for themselves and I’d end up having to give it to them.”

He shrugs hoping Severus will let it go. He doesn’t.

“What aren’t you saying?”

He braces himself and spits out the truth, Severus isn’t going to let this go without hearing everything.

“They _hate_ magic, they hate me for having magic or probably for simply existing, magic or no. They starved me and kept me locked up. If they found out about my money I’d have had to give it to them to survive the summer.”

“If I wasn’t already planning to kill that man, I would be now. He told me you were being cared for.”

Severus is almost shaking with rage. He pulls him into his arms.

“It’s fine. I don’t have to go back there anymore, and I have you now. It’s fine, Severus.”

“It is not fine. But we will discuss this more later. For now...we’ll have one of the elves fetch some of Draco’s clothes for you to wear. If Narcissa catches sight of you wearing something of less than the finest quality... she’ll force you to go clothes shopping. While you do need to do just that, trust me you don’t want her taking you. You’d be there for far longer than is necessary.”

“Saving my life again already?”

Severus snorts.

“Quite.”

“Do you know this from personal experience?”

The glare he receives in response is affirmation enough. He laughs, while Severus summons an elf and has her fetch him something to wear.

~~~~~~

Breakfast is a rather awkward affair, he tries to hold onto his happiness from when he first woke, but he can’t imagine spending months in this house. He’s going to go mad. He tries to behave like a stuck up ponce, like they seem to want, but he has no idea how to. He’s just reaching his breaking point when he feels Severus’ hand on his thigh. He turns to look at the man to find him giving him an understanding look. Severus leans close and whispers in his ear.

“Calm, Harry. You don’t need to worry, they won’t judge you for making mistakes, they’ll judge the people who raised you.”

He doesn’t exactly feel reassured by that but he nods anyway. Severus is happy here with his friends, he’ll try to be as well. He’s glad the Dark Lord isn’t having breakfast with them at least. That would be too much on top of everything else. He focuses back in on the conversation just in time as Narcissa addresses him.

“Do you have any idea what to expect during your pregnancy?”

“Not really, I never thought it would be something I’d have to worry about.”

She looks confused so he reluctantly clarifies.

“I didn’t think I’d survive long enough to be claimed, I never meant to let myself be claimed either. I didn’t want to leave someone grieving my death.”

She looks horrified, then her gaze softens.

“Well that isn’t something you’ll need to worry about now. There are some books in the library on the subject and you may of course ask me whatever questions you like. I can tell you what my own pregnancy was like. Although it is different for everyone.”

He can tell she genuinely wants to help him. She seems to want to make him feel welcome. He smiles and nods.

“Thank you, that would be wonderful.”

He feels Severus’ hand on his thigh again and smiles up at the man. He thinks he might just be able to stand it here after all.

~~~~~~

After breakfast Severus decides to take Harry to Diagon.

“Albus likely won’t be expecting us to venture out so soon after fleeing. It’ll be best to get this over with now.”

The boy nods and they enter the first shop, they’ll be going to several today, and there’s no guarantee Albus won’t have someone in the alley. He keeps his hand on his wand. Harry looks surprised by the amount of clothes he orders for him, he explains quietly that he isn’t planning on making another trip until after the baby is born. Too risky for his liking. He buys him an entire wardrobe of regular clothes and another of maternity wear.

After, he takes him to the oculists to get new glasses. The boy looks confused.

“Considering what you told me this morning I have a feeling you haven’t had your eyes checked. I doubt those are the right prescription.”

Harry nods, looking annoyed.

“Petunia only got me the glasses in the first place because a teacher had complained.”

He breathes in sharply. Begins planning what he’s going to do to the bastards. He tries to put aside his earlier worry but...if they starved the boy badly enough he might not be healthy enough to carry the baby. He forces the thought aside for now.

The boy does need new glasses, Harry picks a new pair and turns to him for his opinion.

“You look much more attractive in those. I find myself grateful that you did not get new glasses before now. No doubt someone would have gotten to you before I could.”

The boy blushes prettily, then smiles.

“In that case, so am I.”

~~~~~~

They spend a few hours wandering the alley getting everything the boy is likely to want or need for the foreseeable future. He has to assure the boy several times that he isn’t spending too much on him. He’s going to enjoy slaughtering those arseholes. When they run out of things to buy they head back to the manor to eat a late lunch. He breathes a sigh of relief when they cross the wards and are relatively safe again.

After lunch he heads for the library, the boy at his side. He spends a good hour scouring the various books on the subject. Then turns to Harry, only to find him sleeping. He shakes his head and places a pillow under the boy’s head so he doesn’t wake with a sore neck. Then he cards his fingers through his hair for a moment. He hopes the damage isn’t too extensive.

He casts the diagnostic. The results are not as bad as he’d feared, but close enough. He sits down and stares at the boy. He is going to torture Albus for this. He hadn’t been planning on making his death quick before, but now he certainly won’t be. He summons a parchment and makes a note of the various potions the boy will need. Then leaves to talk with his Lord.

~~~~~~

Harry wakes confused. He sits up yawning. Oh, he fell asleep in the library. He wonders where Severus went. He gets up and wanders through the stacks but doesn’t find him. He shrugs and decides to go back to their room and check there.

He’s just passing a window when he hears a screech. He turns to find Hedwig sitting on the window sill. He cringes. He can’t believe he forgot her. He opens the window expecting to be pecked for his thoughtlessness but she just hoots unhappily and climbs on his arm.

“Hey, girl. I am so sorry I forgot you. I was a bit preoccupied with being suddenly pregnant. It won’t happen again, promise.”

She turns away, still angry with him. He sighs. Then blinks at the letter she’s holding out to him. He takes it from her. Hermione. Of course. He reads it through quickly as he walks toward their room. He laughs at her description of the chaos this morning when everyone realized they were both missing. And the wild rumors floating around about their either killing one another or eloping. Then sobers when she mentions Snuffles. Damn. He’s gonna have to write the man, soon.

He opens the door to their room and is disappointed to find it empty. He almost leaves again but his eyes land on his trunk and he remembers the package Sirius had given him. He was worried it would put Sirius at risk while he was at Hogwarts but now that he isn’t anymore...and anyway he needs to talk to the man before he does something drastic. If he hears he’s gone missing...

He digs carefully through his trunk till he finds it. He opens it to find a mirror. What? He grabs the note included, oh. Perfect.

“Sirius.”

He waits for a few minutes, wondering if it’s actually working or...he’s just about to try again when he finds himself looking into his godfather’s eyes.

“Sirius! How are you? Are you doing alright?”

“You’re asking about _me_?! Where’ve you been? Where are you now? Are you somewhere safe, pup?”

He smiles, shushes the man, and explains the events of the last few days. Sirius is apoplectic with fury when he hears what happened. It takes a long while to calm him down.

“You can’t, Sirius. Promise me you won’t try. He would just have you thrown back in Azkaban. You shouldn’t even let him know that you know. The last thing I want is for him to prevent my talking to you. Just be careful, okay? He’s obviously a lot more dangerous than anyone realized.”

Sirius grits his teeth but nods.

“Alright pup. I won’t try to kill him, your alpha will do that for me anyway, won’t he?”

“Oh yes, I think he’s off planning his death already.”

~~~~~~

He stirs the potion one last time and then removes the stirrer. He turns to his lord to see him bottling his own potion, having finished a few minutes earlier. The man holds out a vial to him.

“I trust this is of fine enough quality for your omega?”

He wrinkles his brow at the man, but dutifully examines it.

“It’s perfect, my lord. You have always been quite skilled at brewing.”

“Yes, but you are going to be unusually finicky when it comes to the care of your omega. Especially in light of his past treatment.”

He nods sharply. True enough.

“I know you wish to kill the old fool, Severus, but I don’t know that his murder or abduction is currently feasible. We now have no one inside the castle, which is not a judgment against you, you did what you had to to protect what is yours. Still, it complicates matters. None of the upper year Slytherins have any potential as spies.”

He nods, regretfully conceding the point. Perhaps...

“Harry has a map of the castle, my lord, which shows every person inside it and their current location.”

“Show me.”

~~~~~~

He‘s just telling Sirius about the shopping trip they went on when he sees the door open. His heart skips when he sees the Dark Lord with Severus. He’s glad he has the mirror facing away from the door. He smiles apologetically at Sirius.

“I’ve got to go, Sirius. I’ll talk to you later, alright? Behave yourself.”

“Hah, as if I know how, pup. But I won’t confront the man. Promise. Not unless you change your mind and give me permission anyway.”

He gives the man a stern look in response to his hopeful one and Sirius laughs before deactivating his mirror. He sets his own mirror aside and waits for Severus to approach before pulling him into a kiss.

“You’re going to need to be careful, if he finds out just who we have protecting us...”

He snorts.

“He’s so angry with Dumbledore right now I don’t know that he would mind us siding with the Dark Lord. But yeah, I will.”

“We would like to borrow your map, Harry.”

He blinks for a moment but then grins wickedly.

“My pleasure.”

He fetches it from his trunk and activates it. Smiling at Severus’ sneer when he hears the activation phrase. He watches as the Dark Lord pores over the map, then ghosts a finger across it.

“This is a work of art. Do you know who created it?”

He smiles smugly as he tells him. He sees Severus give him a warning look and sobers quickly though. The last thing they need is to anger him. He’s surprised when he sees the regret in his eyes.

“I never meant...I was trying to save magical lives, not take them. If the old fool hadn’t prevented me from going the political route...still, I should never have let things get to the point they did. So many brilliant minds snuffed out...I regret it.”

He watches the man sigh. And can’t help but place his hand on his arm.

“Hey, you can’t change what you did. You can only learn from it. You aren’t going to be starting another war then?”

“No.”

He smiles reassuringly, ignoring Severus’ horrified look at the liberties he’s taking with their lord.

“Good. There’s no point beating yourself up about it, just try to do better from now on, yeah?”

The man looks slightly bewildered.

“You are a strange young man, Mr. Potter. You would comfort the man who murdered your parents?”

“I started to say I’d comfort anyone, but that’s not true. I would never comfort _Dumbledore_. Now I take it you didn’t just want to admire the map?”

“No. We are attempting to plan an assassination.”

“You shouldn’t do that, should you? Don’t look at me like that. I mean, if you kill him he might become a martyr and even if he doesn’t...wouldn’t it be better to have him simply disappear so that their focus is split between trying to prevent your political takeover and looking for the old man?”

The man blinks and then smiles.

“No wonder you are so protective of your new omega. He has a surprisingly cunning mind for a Gryffindor. I wasn’t actually planning to assassinate the man. I meant a political assassination. We will ruin his reputation before abducting him.”

Oh. He smiles widely. He likes that idea. Then he smirks at the man.

“The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin. I argued with it. A rather Slytherin move is it not? To convince the hat to put me elsewhere?”

The man shakes his head.

“If you weren’t already claimed...”

His eyes widen. Shit. Severus moves closer and he feels him place his hand reassuringly on the small of his back. As if he’s going to feel threatened by the Dark Lord’s flirting. Or maybe he’s being possessive? He laughs quietly.

“Now that would be quite the headline wouldn’t it?”


End file.
